i was wondering if anyone had replaced the gauge cluster bulbs with LEDs? i searched but could only find it done to FDs. Would this be hard to do?

 

All of the lights plug into the back of the gauge cluster, all you really have to do is remove the cluster surround, unbolt the gauge cluster, remove, and take out the bulbs on the back of the cluster. They make direct replacement LEDs so there isn't really anything "difficult" about it.

 

ok cool thanks for the info

 

has anyone done that successfully? some clusters, if you put LED retrofit bulbs, will have hotspots because the LEDs dont disperse the same way as standard bulbs so you typically have to build a chain of LEDs around to light everything up.

 

If you had some sort of lens or diffuser it might work better. I don't know how much room you have to play with though.

 

arent FC clusters lit from the front?

 

No.
There's a diffuser that carries light from the back and tries to spread the illumination to the bottom front but no direct lighting up front.

As nice as the posted pic looks, keep in mind we don't have illuminated needles, so the effect won't be as striking.

 

I see

 

later ill take a night image... i scooped these ebay faces for 20 bucks or so..

 

The best way to do it is to wire in strips of LED's in around the perimeter... that is what I plan to do.

 

my car came with that. i riped it out right away.

 

^^ oo my cluster was a lil messed up when i got my 7 soo i figured i might as well put something differant




ya know there is a differroute with the leds.. find a 12v switched when the lights come on remove the regular bulbs.. back light them with white leds...

i used a led as a key hole light there was no bulb in mine if u cant find a 12v led in a color u want, i found out that use of a 560 ohm resistor with a 4volt led works just fine.

 

if only someone would make those reverse glows without the stuff in the middle/inside, id be all for them. But like others said here, our needles dont light up =(

 

i belive there is a way to use uv leds and a light touch of uv paint to make the needles glow..


i panited my needles black like a dumb.. and sometimes i have trouble seeing them.. i got used to it now but at first it was rough

 

Also don't the LED burn a LOT hotter? I was talking to a distributor about some of them and he said they're okay for like turn signals and stuff that doesn't just stay on constantly since they get hot and can possibly melt ****.

 

leds are cool to the touch... when the burn out the dont melt or anything... they flicker a differant color and have a funky electric fire smell and thats it... i did it with a 3.5v led and a nine 9volt battery....

 

can't wait until someone does a write up for leds in a stock cluster with lit needles, some how.

 

Probably not going to happen.
-Gauges that come with illuminated needles have the light transfer "structure" (for lack of a better word) tightly integrated into the mechanism proper...it's not something easily retrofit into an old gauge.

-Assuming the above could be overcome (and it really can't, but...), removing and replacing gauge needles- especially the long, fast response ones in the tach/speedo- is nearly impossible to do successfully. Even with gauges where needle removal was an actual service requirement (like the Smith's gauges found in classic British cars), there was only about a 50-50 chance they'd work right afterwards.
Our gauges are not intended to be disassembled to that degree.

To get that sort of look you'd either have to adapt/modify a gauge cluster from a car that came with it or just make a panel with suitable aftermarket gauges (probably the easiest way to go).

 

 

^
HAHAHAHa LOL that is funny!!

 

That looks great!


how did you get the needles to light up?

 

He didn't.
That's an entirely new cluster-NOT a modified stock part- from someplace in Japan.

 

where can i get one?

 

Japan. And the company that made them went outta business about 6 years
ago so.... GL /W that ****.

 

do you at least have a company name, and the name of the product?